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Really?... REALLY?!?!

After reading the letter to the editor this morning, I just had to shake my head. This lady is complaining that she can't stand driving down Bluffton Parkway because the crematorium of Sauls funeral home faces the parkway and it is "upsetting" to her?!?!

"When Sauls Funeral Home was built, it was only visible from the front, which faced Simmonsville Road. The back of the building could not be seen by the public, nor was the crematorium visible.

But now that the Bluffton Parkway passes along the side of the building, it is quite obvious by the extreme heat being emitted from the “chimney” and a hearse parked at the back door that a body is being cremated. This happens all day, Monday through Saturday.

I would suggest that Sauls relocate their crematorium to a less-conspicuous location, away from the general public’s view. It is very upsetting to me as I drive past their building to know what is taking place inside."

OK. Really?.... REALLY?!?!?

What does she feel when she drives by the other side of Sauls and sees the headstones of people who have been pumped with formeldehide, stuffed in a box, and buried 6 feet under? Does she not get upset knowing that there is rotting flesh just beneath the lush landscaping?

Seriously people, this is death we're talking about. It's not pretty no matter how it's carried out.

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Suggest ignoring the letter. Some people have nothing better to do than to get upset about things like a crematorium. When Sauls built the place, it was probably in a rural area. They may have to put up a barrier to hide it.

She could drive another route. It's her problem to deal with and why lay it on the rest of us?

How oblivious am I? I frequently visit the recycling center and never noticed. And I don't care now. In fact, I think I find less upsetting the respectful treatment of human remains than the frequent sights of animal carcasses on the road.

What bothers me though is the idea that this woman would even suggest that her sensibilities should take priority over the cost and inconvenience of moving a crematorium. As heron suggested, drive another route if it bothers you.

"... the fundamental test of a society is how it treats the least powerful among us." --- Edward Moore Kennedy, August 1992

How nice of you to ask, WHHI...but on Hallowe'en I will be roaming the skies on my broom...far away from the LowCountry.

You should be careful, though, because these blog outings can get out of hand. Don't know whether you remember the two bloggers who went all around Bluffton in a school bus to protest a referendum. Not everybody was pleased. BWAHAHAHAHA!

"... the fundamental test of a society is how it treats the least powerful among us." --- Edward Moore Kennedy, August 1992

I read that this morning, too, and thought what an uptight...woman. Ok, I used a more colorful term there, but you get my drift.

Honestly, people making such egotistical demands only make me want to continue doing what has irritated them even more. I know, it's petty and childish, but then, so am I.

What about the things that are upsetting to me? Do I then have a right to demand that dogs be kept out of businesses, restaurants and, in general, away from me? Do I have the right to tell people with crying children to take them elsewhere, like Utah or Montana, where they can then cry to their heart's content and I won't be subjected to it? Those things upset me! Do I have the right to demand that happy couples smooching in the park cover themselves up because their happiness upsets me? (Ok, so I'm a bitter single guy...but with all my pettiness and childishness, is it any wonder I'm single?)

No doubt, she is afraid of death. Like my grandmother told me more than 45 years ago.... "Son, you start dying the day you're born". So, you see death is a long process... unless you make bad choices, then it's sooner than you want it to be. It's that sudden stop at the end that gets you!

I've been rethinking this, and I'm wondering whether missyrose wasn't right to ask "Really?" Maybe this woman wasn't serious. Maybe she was trying to make an off-the-wall point about how silly some of BT published complaints get. I bet that's what she'll say after she's clobbered in the Vox. I just can't believe anyone could be so self-absorbed as to expect a crematorium to be moved to save her some upset. So I'm taking back my original response.

"... the fundamental test of a society is how it treats the least powerful among us." --- Edward Moore Kennedy, August 1992

I am afraid I'm going to wet myself! You guys are in rare form tonight. If this lady wasn't so sadly fearful of what lies before her...this would be hysterical. Wait...it is! She just needs a little education and to come to grip with reality.

I agree with heron. IGNORING IT is probably the best bet. In fact, I think ignoring 99% of the VOX calls is in everyones best interest!
What a waste of valuable newspaper space. How would you like to be a NEWSpaper that is recognized for your VOX (gossip / BS) column. Nice.

If it wasn't for the vox I'd have to buy 2 newspapers to line the bird cage.
As for the letter this morning I'm happy to know I wasn't the only one bothered by it. Grow up and pick another road to travel. As for me I'm quite happy the furnace works....less chance of a zombie problem at Halloween.

That's how the zombies came back in Return of the Living Dead! The initial one was chopped up and then brought to a crematorium (I'm still trying to figure out what the hell a "crematory" is...) where it was cremated, and then, due to a thunderstorm rolling in, the fumes containing the toxins from the burnt zombie then rained down upon all below...creating a WHOLE LOT more zombies!

The letter writer needs to get her britches outta the bunch they seem to have been wadded up in since the late 1800's and deal with the fact that Saul's is gonna be the type of place that will finally let her rest in peace.

I designed an ad one year for The Villages, FL. A funeral home with the tagline, "We're the last ones to ever let you down."

Now THAT'S a place that I would be more than happy to have take care of my zombie-free corpse.

Of course, if I DO come back as a zombie, I hope the letter writer is still alive to witness what happens when whining people get their way and the (un)dead can't be burned...because it upsets her so.

I wonder what would be more upseting...Saul's crematorium or having a zombie gnawing on her thigh.

Maybe Sauls, et al, could take down the Crematorium sign and put up Saul's Recycling Center. Since the body is mostly water, they are releasing that water back into the environment to be recycled. And the ashes, well, some go in containers and some get scattered either on land or into local waters. Again, recycling the minerals.

Sorry, Bobcat. I was in the midst of an article about torture in the current issue of "The Atlantic". To be honest, I was getting bored with the article, so that's why I jumped on the computer...for some light reading.

But, to be fair, I would think that PB would have been the first to make this political, with her comment. But that would be throwing her under the bus. The bus. Get it?

I crack me up.

:-P

New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become. - Kurt Vonnegut

Ah, the bus. I'm not under it, I wasn't on the Accountability Bus, and I wasn't behind it (the caper) either. But I do love you, AS.

As for turning things political, I think a diligent content analysis of the blogs would show that Bobcat and his compadre cobraguy are among the first to cite "libs" and "dems" in a high percentage of blog threads.

"... the fundamental test of a society is how it treats the least powerful among us." --- Edward Moore Kennedy, August 1992

EDIT ADD: When I say "I wasn't behind it" I don't mean I didn't support it. It's just that I can't take credit for dreaming up a truly blogroots effort. 8>)

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